Chapter 30

The roof was on, the logs chinked, and the wooden floor down in the school the first week in February. The men made benches for the children. Gordon found a teacher's desk who knew where. The start of school was delayed another week while Dugan Foster and his son, Billy Ray, built the outhouse Mira had insisted was necessary.

Finally on the second Monday in February, she stood in the school door to wait for children to come. At church, Gordon had announced school would begin the next day, but she had no idea how many students to expect. Not only were some in the community unsure about a brought-in teacher, a few inches of snow had fallen during the night.

Gordon got up well before daylight to build a fire in the potbelly stove that was a gift from one of the mission's supporters in Louisville. Mira knew she should close the door to let the school warm up, but she stayed where she was. She had to be where the children could see her and know how happy she was to be their teacher.

The cold mountain air seemed to give her a burst of energy, or maybe it was the smell of old books behind her. Whatever the reason, excitement stirred inside her. Slates were on the benches ready for the children. Posters with the alphabet and numbers adorned the rough walls. Her clock sat on a shelf beside her desk.

She even had a bell. Miss Ophelia's treasured teacher's bell. Mira cried when she opened that package from Miss Ophelia and shed more tears over the coat and shoes the right size she'd sent for Ada June.

Now Ada June was still at the house. Since Mira hadn't changed her mind about the problems dogs could cause in a schoolroom, she had reluctantly agreed to leave Bo shut up there during school. The place was like home to him now, since Ada June spent most nights on the cot Gordon had put in the corner of their front room.

Mira looked at the path that led past the church toward their house. No sign of the girl yet. Ada June wanted to learn, but Mira still wasn't sure she would come on to school without Bo. The dog somehow gave her courage.

Besides, she knew Mira would keep teaching her at home the way she'd been doing for weeks. Joseph too. When she started reading lessons with Ada June back in January, Joseph hung around, pretending not to be interested. But Ada June's excitement about learning to read was contagious. Soon Joseph sat with them, forming letters and then words on a slate.

If the snow didn't stop him, Joseph would surely come today. No sooner had the thought crossed her mind than Billy Ray Foster rounded the corner of the schoolhouse, followed by Joseph hurrying to keep up. Then other children came down the paths toward the school. Each one who came into sight was a gift that warmed her heart so that she barely felt the cold air blowing in through the door with them.

She was a little surprised when Connor Rayburn and his little brother Jimmy came down the road. She hadn't thought their father, Cleo, would let them come, but here they were. Jimmy raced across the yard and up the steps to slip inside past Mira with a shy smile. Connor followed with a swagger, not wanting to give any appearance of eagerness. His buddy Marv ran down the road to catch up with him in the schoolyard. Marv's hound was right beside him as always, something the same as Bo always with Ada June.

Mira took another look at the path toward her house. Still no Ada June.

Marv and Connor started up the steps. When the hound stopped, Marv grabbed the rope around his neck and pulled him along with them.

"Good morning, boys." Mira used her cheeriest voice. "Glad you're here, but no dogs can come inside, Marv. Your dog will have to stay outside."

"But it's cold, Missus Covington," Marv said.

"His fur coat will keep him warm enough."

"Bet you're gonna let in that girl's dog." Connor gave her a smirk.

Mira kept her smile easy. "You heard me. No dogs in the schoolroom."

Connor poked Marv. "Then I reckon we won't have to be bothered with that woods colt."

"That's enough." Mira held her hand up to stop his words. "We don't talk like that here."

"I reckon I can say whatever I want to say." Connor laughed.

"Yes, as long as you remember to only want to say the right things." She gave him a stern look. "No bad talk here. You have to follow the rules. My rules."

"Your rules, huh. How you aimin' to make me?" His laughter turned to a scowl. "You lay a finger on me, my pa will run you out of Sourwood."

She'd hoped to have a few days to get to know the children before trouble showed up, but perhaps it was best to face it early. She ignored Connor's threat. She had no plans to use brute force on her students. She would lose that battle early. She kept her gaze steady on the boys.

Marv let go of his hound and shuffled his feet. "Come on, Connor. Just go on in."

"You gonna let some brought-in woman tell you what you kin do?" Connor glared at Marv as he turned to go back down the steps. "Let's get out of here."

Marv looked even more uncomfortable. "I gotta go in. I promised Ma I'd learn to read so's I could read the Bible to her." He waved his dog back and, with a guilty look at Connor, stepped past Mira.

Mira didn't smile, although she wanted to as she watched Connor, who didn't seem to know what to do after Marv's desertion. Then she stopped trying to not smile when Ada June ran across the yard to push past Connor on the steps as if she had no worries in the world except getting to school on time.

Inside the clock chimed eight. Mira looked past Connor. No other children were in sight. "Come in when you're ready, Connor. I won't count tardiness today, but from now on students need to be inside before eight."

She moved back and shut the door. Billy Ray Foster stepped up beside her. "Connor givin' you trouble, Miss Mira?"

"He appears to be uncertain about coming in. That's all."

"I reckon I better go talk to him," Billy Ray said.

"If you want, but he needs to make up his own mind."

"If'n you don't care, I'll help him with that."

When Billy Ray's eyes narrowed before he headed out the door, Mira almost felt sorry for Connor. He looked that much like his mother, and Mira had been in Sourwood long enough to know Miss Effie didn't put up with any nonsense. She wasn't surprised when they both came in the door a few minutes later while she was welcoming her students.

Connor found a place on a bench near the door. Billy Ray settled behind him. Ada June perched on the end of a front bench the other children had left empty. Mira would have to assign the children benches, but not today. Today was for getting to know them, for being glad to be in front of a classroom again, and most of all for trusting the Lord to help her meet the challenges of teaching this group of children.

She took a moment to study their faces. Some smiled at her while others looked unsure of what she might expect of them. Two or three appeared to be like Connor and not at all happy to be there.

"Welcome to Sourwood Mission School." Mira smiled at the children watching her so expectantly. "I'm Mrs. Covington, your teacher. I'm here to help you learn and I expect you to help each other as well. But first every morning, we will ask the Lord for his powerful help. Pray with me."

She bowed her head and asked the Lord's blessings on their day and their school. After she said amen, she went on. "This Bible verse will be a guide for our behavior here. ‘Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them: for this is the law and the prophets.' Matthew 7:12. That means to do unto others as you would have them do unto you." She paused a few seconds to look at each child before she went on. "Please repeat that with me. Do unto others as you would have them do unto you."

By the third repetition, most of the children knew the words. Not all said the words with her, but most had. Connor hadn't. Ada June hadn't. At least not out loud. But Joseph and Billy Ray had, and even the littlest girl there who didn't look over five said some of the words. It was a good start.

Gordon came in at the end of the school day with a sack of peppermint candy to make for a sweet ending to the first day for the children. Mira could only hope that would bring them back the next day.

He waited while she straightened the room and put the slates back on the benches. To get them used to the slates, she'd let them draw pictures or copy their names that she wrote across the top of their slates. There were houses, trees, and what might be dogs or cows. She wasn't sure which. A couple of stick figures with an abundance of hair had to be the students' portrait of their teacher.

She laughed and showed them to Gordon.

"Not you." He shook his head and reached to touch her hair. "Not nearly enough curls in that hair."

Mira hooked some of those stray curls behind her ears. "I need more hairpins."

"No hairpins is best." His eyes were intense on her, a warm, loving look.

She looked down to hide her blush. He gently put his fingers under her chin to pull her face up to look at him.

"Do you know what today is?" he asked. "February fourteenth."

"Valentine's Day. But I've never paid that much notice."

"Nor have I. But today I think we should take a walk and consider the blessings of love."

"I don't know. I need to cook our supper and prepare for tomorrow's lessons."

"A walk first. Later I'll find us something to eat while you do your lesson preparations. But snow is falling again in soft, fat flakes. The very best time for a walk." He got her coat off one of the hooks on the wall and held it while she slipped her arms into the sleeves. He pulled her back against him for a moment before he turned her loose to let her put on her hat. "I love your curls."

The snow was as beautiful as Gordon had promised. It covered the ground in a white blanket and muffled the sounds of the community around them.

They walked past the church and their house on to the creek where snowflakes melted in the water to join the rush downhill. Mira held out her hand to let two snowflakes settle softly on her gloved palm.

"Each one unique," she said as she studied the icy designs. "Like the children who came to school today."

"Yes." But Gordon wasn't looking at the snowflakes. He was looking at her. "Like you." He paused a moment before he added, "Like our marriage. Unique but blessed. Very blessed."

She thought she should turn away, start back toward their house, but she felt captured by his eyes. "Blessed." She echoed his word, and the truth of it warmed her even as snow swirled around them.

"You are the valentine I never knew I needed, but the Lord knew. He has blessed me beyond measure." Gordon put his hands on her shoulders and leaned down to kiss her.

Without even looking around to see if anyone was around to see them, Mira stepped into his embrace.

When he lifted his lips from hers, his voice was husky. "Let's go home, my love."

After they stepped up on the porch, he picked her up in his arms as he had the first day when she had teased him into carrying her over the threshold.

She laughed. "What are you doing?"

"I was pushed into carrying you over the threshold back in January, but not this time. I want you to know that I'll always be here for you. Ready to carry you, love you, help you, and do whatever you need."

"What will Ada June think if she sees us?"

"She told me to let you know she has to stay at Miss Dottie's tonight. The baby is fussy and Emmy Lou has a cold."

"Mr. Luther is gone?"

"Yes."

"I'll miss her."

"She promises to be back before breakfast. But tonight can be ours."

Mira smiled and rested her head on Gordon's shoulder. "Ours" suddenly sounded like a very good word.